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Abstract
Objectives: Understand perceptions of COVID-19 messages and information sources among rural wastewater treatment plant operators to inform context-specific communication strategies for implementing wastewater surveillance methodologies locally.
Methods: Eight employees from 7 Eastern Kentucky facilities involved in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance participated in semi-structured interviews. Respondents shared perceptions of traditional and social media COVID-19 information channels in their communities, as well as factors influencing trustworthiness of sources. Using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) framework, 3 investigators conducted iterative, thematic coding of interview transcripts.
Results: Respondents’ statements most frequently related to “Be Credible,” “Be Right,” and “Promote Action” CERC constructs, while mixed messages, high volumes of information, and numerous sources undermined trust in COVID-19 information.
Conclusions: Understanding the relative importance of CERC constructs and their distractors may improve future risk communication to advance infectious disease surveillance strategies in rural contexts.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2025.36
Funding Information
This study was supported by the NIH RADx-rad Initiative Grant #U01 DE053903-01. Thank you to the Eastern Kentucky wastewater treatment plant staff who provided interviews and feedback for this study.
Repository Citation
Tucker, Savannah; May, Beverly; Liversedge, Matthew; Berry, Scott M.; Keck, James W.; and Hoover, Anna G., "COVID-19 Risk and Crisis Communication Challenges and Opportunities: Qualitative Insights from Rural Wastewater Surveillance Partners" (2025). UK CARES Faculty Publications. 120.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/ukcares_facpub/120
Notes/Citation Information
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.